Paris1972-Versailles2003

This is supposed to be the biggest attraction in Valencia, the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias or the arts and sciences city (CAC) actually just outside city center ;not really big on huge complex trying to be all in one , we skip it, just passing by it. However, it is here for content, and the memories of one day eventually stopping by. Hope you get the idea and enjoy the post as I.

The City of Arts and Sciences, or Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias or CAC, whose project was born in the early 90s, has become the star destination for visitors to Valencia. This spectacular, totally futuristic architectural space, surrounded by landscaped gardens and bodies of water, covers nearly 2 km of the eastern end of the Jardin du Turia (former bed of the Turia river) The CAC is a huge cultural complex which is now articulated around six large constructions, an IMAX cinema, a science museum, a promenade on a hanging garden, an aquarium, an opera and an agora. The first being the Hemisferic in 1998 in the shape of a large eye, houses an IMAX 3D cinema, exhibition and conference rooms, The Museo de las Ciencias (2000) ,an interactive Museum of Science and Technology, Umbracle (2001 ) a large shaded hanging garden covering the car park of the CAC, Oceanográfic (2003) the largest aquarium in Europe , The Sofía Palace of Arts (2005) Opera, concerts, ballets, experimental theater, conferences and the last, the Agora, which was inaugurated in 2009, a covered space with 5,550 seats designed to host major events such as the Valencia Open 500.

The official CAC: https://www.cac.es/en/home.html

Also in the same sector, between the Science Museum and the Oceanographic Park of Valencia, the Pont de l’Assut d’Or, in the shape of a large sail whose mast is 150 meters high. All this by Autopista del Saler 1 , which you can go on foot by the Jardin del Turia, or in EMT bus lines 15, 35 ,and 95 or in taxi.

The Valencia tourist office on CAC : https://www.visitvalencia.com/en/what-to-see-valencia/city-of-arts-and-ciences/city-of-arts-and-sciences-monuments

Not too far but in the arts we passed the Puente de las Artes or Pont de les Arts was built in 1990 and was completed in 1998 by the British Sir Norman Foster. It has a spectacular central support representing a chandelier that supports the upper lamps. It is a functional and modern bridge with a careful and elegant design. To the north of the bridge we can find the Parc de Marxalenes, and to the south the Valencian Institute of Modern Art (IVAM) and Beneficencia, a well-known charitable institution in the city. The continuation of the bridge on this south side takes us to Calle Na Jordana street, where one of the most important fallas in the city is planted. Also under the bridge is the Canine park of the Turia river or Parc caní del riu Túria. It is a closed space where dogs can run or do a canine circuit.

The Valencia tourist office on the Jardin del Turia garden: https://www.visitvalencia.com/que-ver-valencia/jardines-del-turia

We saw all the above on our way out of Valencia coming from the beach of Malvarosa along Calle de Pavia all along the beaches ,port marina of Valencia to the traffic circle of calle de les Moreres and into the Carrer de Eduardo Primo Yufera all the way passing the Puente de las Artes and just passed it connect with the V30 for a short while to connect with exit 352 of the A3 back home in Las Majadas, province of Cuenca!

The Comunitat Valencia or Valencia region on the city of Valencia: https://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/en/valencia/valencia

There you go folks, another dandy road warrior trip to pretty Valencia by car in and out, and lots of walks in city center and the beaches;see my several posts on Valencia in my blog. Hope you enjoy this short post and give you ideas to visit.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

I know about Aranjuez since a young child, my mother would sing to me the concierto of Aranjuez, that has been even turns into operas and zarzuelas in my beloved Spain. Many versions tells of a love between a Prince and a lady that was not possible to be. The Royal Palace and its gardens are sublime. I have told you about the palace and the Prince’s garden, but left out the others and nice pictures me think. Therefore, here is my Jardin de la Isla or island garden of Aranjuez, Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Jardin de la Isla or garden of the island is located to the north of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. It is one of the main garden works of the Spanish Renaissance together with the Casa de Campo in Madrid, It is located to the north of the palace, on an artificial island of approximately 25 hectares, between the Tagus River ,and an estuary or canal. On this there are four bridges that served as access to the garden. First, next to the palace, is the bridge between the Parterre garden and the Island; wide and ramped to allow the passage of carriages, it was built in 1733 or 1744 on the gates to regulate the flow of the estuary.

Very close to it is the Canal bridge, between the Queen’s Garden and the Island; it was designed in 1729 and built in stone in 1731-32 , To the west of the first two, between the garden and Calle de Madrid, is the Enmedio bridge. It was rebuilt in 1764 in stone, Finally, the Isleta bridge, at the western end of the Island. The court’s main access to the Royal site was through a bridge over the Tagus, and after crossing it and the estuary it continued along Calle de Madrid to the Palace. However, at the end of the 17C it was very deteriorated, so in 1728 the Green Bridge was built downstream, which allowed the river to be crossed without stepping on the Island.

The Jardin de la Isla was promoted at the initiative of Felipe II, as a representation of paradise and laid out in 1561; the works lasted from that year until 1564, and were continued with the ordering of the fountains in 1582. Felipe III began a reform in the iconography of the garden and at that time the fountain of the Harpies, the fountain of Vertumno and the pedestal of Neptune’s fountain. His successor, Philip IV, continued the work. In the first place, it included the fountain of Hercules and the Hydra, which had twenty-four statues, in addition to the main one, of which fourteen remain, eight in the fountain and six on the Stairway bridge, while the remaining ten were removed between 1804 and 1834 and relocated to other sets. The Harpies fountain survived with hardly any changes; not so the sources of the markets, located in the corners of the rectangle of the Harpies, The Don Juan de Austria or Venus fountain remained similar in appearance to the existing one except for four boys who, seated on the pedestal, had birds in their hands. The Neptune fountain, added at this time, had seven sculptural groups of which only three remain and had a structure on the central pedestal that imitated a cloud, from which six arms came out holding crowns that were placed on top of each one of them. the groups. Finally, the Tritons fountain, erected at that time at the southwestern end of the garden, would be transferred to the Campo del Moro gardens of Madrid in 1848.

On the puente de la Escalinata or stairway bridge, one of the entrances to the garden, there is a set of six sculptures, three gods and three goddesses. At the beginning of the longitudinal axis of the garden is what is popularly known as the Apollo fountain, dedicated to the god Vertumnus. They represent scenes from Hercules fighting with the lion of Nemea, killing the Hydra, attacking the centaurs and killing the centaur Neso, four coats of arms of the kingdom of Castile, four lions and four griffins. The Fuente del Anillo or ring fountain , also called the Fuente del Reloj or clock fountain, it is located where the Ganymede fountain was previously located. It is made up of a low circular pool, surrounded by a fence on which Roman numerals were engraved, and a simple cup, The Fuente de las Harpías was made between 1615 and 1618. It consists of a square pylon, with four Corinthian columns at its corners. Harpies are placed on the columns, which release water towards the central piece; in this, on a balustraded cup, is the figure of the Spinario, The Fuente de Venus fountain consists of two concentric octagonal ponds. In the center starts an octagonal pillar, which supports a large cup; on this another support, in the form of a baluster, and finally a smaller cup. Above this, the figure of Venus, who is represented wringing out her hair with her hands.

The Fuente de Baco or bacchus fountain is located in the center of a large circular pylon, and is made up of two elements. On the one hand, the pedestal, made in marble between 1566 and 1570, belongs to the sculptural group of Samson and the Philistine. It was part of the Medici garden in Florence and, from the beginning of the 17C, of the Ribera garden in Valladolid; Felipe IV gave the main sculpture to Charles I of England, which is why it is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, while the pedestal was moved to Aranjuez. It consists of a square central piece, with four sirens on the corners that, like caryatids, seem to support the polylobed cup. On this, a square base on which the sculpture rests. On the other hand, the figure of Bacchus. The Fuente de Neptuno or neptune fountain was commissioned in 1621 by Felipe III. Originally it had the group of the Rape of Ganymede and was where the Ring fountain would later be located, but in 1662 it was relocated by Felipe IV, replacing the original group with that of Neptune and adding six more sculptures: Neptune, Ceres or Cibeles and Juno. they were repeated and the seventh was Jupiter. At the beginning of the 19C, the duplication of Juno and Neptune was reduced and later the statues of Juno and Jupiter were eliminated, so that only Neptune and Ceres or Cibeles duplicate remain.

In 1777, under the reign of Carlos III, a dam was built over the Tagus over 300 meters long, topped with an iron railing between pedestals with vases , At the beginning of the walk, as you enter the garden through the eastern bridge, the Fuente de la Boticaria fountain is located. It comes from the Jardin del Principe or Prince’s garden (see post), from where it was moved in 1889; it has been documented since 1807 and features two putti, dolphins and shells on a rock. The Huerta del Infante or garden of the Infant. It consists of two sheets of railings between brick pilasters, topped by shell-shaped sculptures made of Colmenar stone. This space occupies an area of ​​twelve hectares, between the ordered garden and the Tagus riverbed, and was improved between 1777 and 1786. In contemporary times it is an empty plot, with only a building from 1987 intended for gardeners. The Jardin y Fuente de Diana or diana’s garden and fountain was laid out in 1748. It was a French-style flower garden, although enclosed by a wall; later, the drawing of the squares was lost, transformed into pieces of prairie with trees, and the wall was eliminated, being delimited by boxwood hedges. It has four symmetrical pieces around two cross axes and in the center a roundabout where a pond and fountain are located. The Jardín de la Isleta thanks to the contributions of sediments from the Tagus and the Ría, a tongue of land was formed, the so-called Isleta. It was separated from the Island by a wall; Felipe V ordered the suppression of this and the organization of a parterre. The project was carried out in 1731 in a semicircular space, with the Tritons fountain in the center. This was placed in 1759, until in 1847 it was installed in the Campo del Moro in Madrid. The whole complex was surrounded by a railing. In contemporary times the Isleta lost a good part of these elements.

In different points of Aranjuez viewpoints were placed with the aim of enjoying nature; four of them were in the Jardin de la Isla. One with views of the Aceñas dam and the Barcas bridge; another next to the Tagus bridge, in front of the Picotajo orchards; another next to the place where the Tagus and the Jarama joined, which was moved to the new joint of the rivers in the 18C after the change of course of the Jarama; and lastly the one located next to the Enmedio bridge, with views of the Star ceiling and the main entrance of the Royal Palace.

The city of Aranjuez on the gardens: https://visita.aranjuez.es/espacios/espacios-naturales/

The Aranjuez tourist office on the gardens : https://www.aranjuez.com/jardines.html

The Comunidad de Madrid region tourist office on the gardens: https://turismomadrid.es/en/discover/heritage-cities/aranjuez/11283-the-gardens.html

There you go folks, a nice palace and beautiful gardens in a nice town of Aranjuez. Maybe not a love story for you or me but nevertheless its a very romantic place especially in Jardin de la Isla. Enjoy the gardens of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez!!

And remember, happy travels ,good health, and many cheers to all !!!

I know about Aranjuez since a young child, my mother would sing to me the concierto of Aranjuez, that has been even turns into operas and zarzuelas in my beloved Spain. Many versions tells of a love between a Prince and a lady that was not possible to be. The Royal Palace and its gardens are sublime, I have told you about the palace and the Prince’s garden, but left out the others and nice pictures me think, Therefore, here is my Jardin del Parterre and Jardin de la Reina of Aranjuez, Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Jardin del Parterre garden is located next to the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. It is one of the few examples of classical French gardening in Spain. It is located at the back of the palace. It was made in the time of Felipe V, between 1728 and 1735, At first, the garden was enclosed by a wall at its southern and eastern limits. However, in 1751 it was replaced by an iron railing with stone pilasters from Colmenar, and between 1760 and 1763, it was removed and replaced by a perimeter moat with water, in the form of a ha-ha. Finally, throughout the 19C it underwent various modifications that would lead to the existing design in contemporary times. Thus, around 1850 the baroque layouts were changed for an Elizabethan design, and in 1871-1872 winding paths were created, forming islets.

It consists of an elongated trapezoid, based on the eastern façade of the palace. It is made up of three large groups, organized around four fountains and separated by undulating streets, following a central axis. The first group is located next to the Royal Palace; features two fountains, the Nereidas, located symmetrically within two prairie areas bordered by boxwood hedges, and between these two roundabouts appear: one oval, grass, bordered by a hedge and with the figure of a crown inside, and another circular, with a compass rose in a boxwood hedge framed by a frame also made of boxwood. The second group is organized around the pond of the Ceres fountain, located transversely with respect to the main axis of the gardsculptural groups. Finally, the third group, inside the semicircle that closes the garden to the east; in it is the circular fountain of Hercules and Antaeus and pieces of prairie.

The sphinxes and vases of Thierry are located next to the facade of the palace. The sphinxes do not appear as part of the garden until a plan from 1920; however, they date from the 18C. In the garden there are also four of Thierry’s twenty-eight vases brought to Aranjuez in 1804 from the gardens of the Royal Palace of Granja de San Ildefonso; in two of them the four seasons are represented, while in the other two Bacchic masks are represented with a garland of oak and ivy,  The Fuente de las Nereidas are two sculptures cast in lead, representing the Nereids, and were transferred from the Granja de San Ildefonso in 1744. They are pieces belonging to the original decoration of the garden, focused on the representation of water in nature . They are painted imitating marble, although initially they were made of bronze.

The Fuente de Ceres or fountain of Ceres with the statue of Ceres from 1791, was installed in the Jardin del Principe, until in 1889 it was moved to the Parterre. The figure appears seated facing the palace, with a torch in his right hand and a bunch of poppies in his left hand; on her right side is a sheaf of ears of wheat and behind her a snake next to another bundle of wheat. Additionally, her hair is girdled by a crown of spikes and a genie to her left holds a horn of plenty.  The Fuente de Hercules and Antaeus fountain began under Charles IV and in 1807 it was practically finished, but it was not until 1827 that it was installed in the place previously occupied by a fountain dedicated to the Tagus. It consists of three sculptural groups within the same pond. The central group culminates in the sculpture of Hercules and Antaeus and is formed by a fluted column trunk supported by a four-sloped roof; It contains Hercules as a child attacked by two serpents and the attributes of the hero, such as the mace, the bow with a quiver and the laurel wreath. Below the roof, four facades simulating a dwelling, with masks and garlands, and at the base of the whole complex a rocky area, in which various deeds of Hercules are represented through the animals or monsters he killed: the ceriva de Cerinea, the Cerberus dog, the Erymanthus boar, the Nemean lion and the Cretan bull, as well as the representation of other beings, such as sirens and a chimera. The two lateral groups represent the columns of Hercules, Calpe and Ávila, on some rocks. On each one appears the inscription Non plus ultra, and a dragon looking towards the center of the pond.

The Jardin de la Reina or garden of the queen is also located next to the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. It is located next to the north wing of the Palace, overlapping behind its main façade, as well as its symmetrical Jardin del Rey or king’s garden. The space it occupies has a trapezoidal floor plan due to the layout of the Ría, since it is not parallel to the palace.

The Queen’s Garden was included in the original conception of the palatial complex but for a long time it was only an esplanade through which one could access from the palace to the Jardin de la Isla with which it is connected by two bridges and the Jardin de la Parterre. The first improvement must have taken place between 1869 and 1872, when a marble fountain was placed. In 1889, when the sculptural group of Ceres was moved from the Jardin del Principe to the Jardin de la Parterre, the three small fountains that were in the latter’s central pond were freed; two of them were placed in the gardens of the King and the Queen, so the planting of the garden must have taken place in the last years of the 19C.  It presents a design similar to the King’s garden but with smaller elements; cruciform floor plan, whose main axes meet in the center giving rise to a square plaza, and a central stone fountain from Colmenar. Two other transversal axes are added to create eight planting squares, which are accompanied by rosebushes and ball finials in the corners. The fountain has a mixtilinear plan and has a sculptural group of a pair of putti holding a fish.

The city of Aranjuez on the gardens:https://visita.aranjuez.es/espacios/espacios-naturales/

The Aranjuez tourist office on the gardens : https://www.aranjuez.com/jardines.html

The Comunidad de Madrid region tourist office on the gardens: https://turismomadrid.es/en/discover/heritage-cities/aranjuez/11283-the-gardens.html

There you go folks, a nice palace and beautiful gardens in a nice town of Aranjuez. Maybe not a love story for you or me but nevertheless its a very romantic place especially in Jardin del Parterre and Jardin de la Reina. Enjoy the gardens of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez!!

And remember, happy travels ,good health, and many cheers to all !!!